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Survey reveals China’s best expat cities

Results from a recently released survey have revealed that Shanghai is the best Chinese city for expats to live in.

The national annual survey, which has been operating since 2010, polled approximately 72,000 expats, including recipients of the Chinese Government Friendship Award, winners of the Thousand International Talents Programme and foreigners living and working in China, to find its results.

Shanghai was named as the most popular expat city for the second year running, and ranked first on all four of the survey’s major fields including administration and working and living environment.

China’s capital, Beijing, was voted the second best city for foreigners to live in, with the survey suggesting that the city could do more to improve its working environment, traffic and pollution problems. Workers in the city do, however, earn more money on average than those living in any other Chinese cities.

Tianjin, Guangzhou and Shenzhen rounded out the top five positions. Hong Kong was not included as part of the survey.

In recent years, China has become an increasingly popular destination for foreigners largely due to its economic growth and favourable immigration policies where business and economic opportunities are concerned.

In the past five years, the number of expats working in China has risen by 18 per cent, while economists predict China will overtake the US as the world’s largest economy by 2018.

Results from the most recent HSBC Expat Explorer survey found that 69 per cent of expats living in China have more disposable income than they had in their previous country, while 44 per cent stated that the country offers them a higher quality of life.